Friday, 16 February 2007

My Inner Granny

(The sky today)

Whip-up (oh how I love whip-up!) has a great entry today about respecting our inner Granny, something I wholeheartedly agree with. I am fortunate enough to still have both my Grandmothers around. My Grammy, who is 73, plays games and cleans (her floor has always been clean enough to eat on, I'm in awe of this, really). From her I learned to be tolerant and the value of unconditional hugs. My Grandma, who is 91 (and still lives in her own apartment!) knits and reads. From her I learned that life isn't about the quick and short-term, it's about the things that last. I also fairly recently learned that she has a wicked sense of humour.

They are both religious women whose lives have always revolved around family and church. This means that I grew up surrounded my baking, canning, cleaning, cooking, gardening, being frugal, and doing most everything by hand. (Sewing is my Mom's love and domain, so I'll save that for later.) In the past, I have made of point of stopping by (not as often as I should, as any Grandmother will say about their grandchildren....sigh) and watching, learning what they do. Part of it is laziness - I can read instructions, but it's just sooooo much easier watching a master, especially if they're also good at teaching. But really there are nuances and tricks that don't translate easily onto paper. I learned a lot about knitting tension from just the one session with my Grandma, and since I'm not really a knitter, but I do love the results.....one of my works in progress:

A work in progress that is actually a Christmas present to my Mom (from two Christmases ago!). She brought back some wool from a trip to New Zealand and said "I want you to knit something for me". It was a good tactic. I'll felt the sweaters and add an edging from this book (one of only two knitting books I have - that I have to change). I say "add an edging" as if I merrily knit away the evenings in front of the t.v. I've never done many of the instructions for this particular pattern, so there will be swearing involved (sorry Grammy and Grandma!) It's something that I'd like to finish before it gets too warm around here, and so I'm going to go work on it right now, before Safiya wakes up from her nap, and so this post ends :-)

Welcome!

This is my hopefully simpler, make-do, crafty, dirt-under-the-nails life with my little family in our little house in the middle of big Toronto. Feel free to poke around, start a conversation, borrow ideas, and share ideas.

Please note that tutorials are not intended as patterns for commercial use. Also, do not copy content or photographs without my permission, but feel free to contact me if you wish to do so.Thanks,Marnie Saskin

i go here when i'm hungry...

*and hence, the name

'Now, I'll try you again. Suppose you were going to carpet a room. Would you use a carpet having a representation of flowers upon it?'

There being a general conviction by this time that 'No, sir!' was always the right answer to this gentleman, the chorus of No was very strong. Only a few feeble stragglers said Yes; among them Sissy Jupe.

'Girl number twenty,' said the gentleman, smiling in the calm strength of knowledge.

Sissy blushed, and stood up.

'So you would carpet your room -- or your husband's room, if you were a grown woman, and had a husband -- with representations of flowers, would you,' said the gentleman. 'Why would you?'

'If you please, sir, I am very fond of flowers,' returned the girl.

'And is that why you would put tables and chairs upon them, and have people walking over them with heavy boots?'

'It wouldn't hurt them, sir. They wouldn't crush and wither if you please, sir. They would be the pictures of what was very pretty and pleasant, and I would fancy --'

'Ay, ay, ay! But you mustn't fancy,' cried the gentleman, quite elated by coming so happily to his point. 'That's it! You are never to fancy.'